Concealed Carry Killers

Concealed carry permit holders are supposed to be the “good guys” with guns. In reality, far too many permit holders are a direct threat to public safety.

Concealed Carry Killers is a resource maintained by the Violence Policy Center that includes hundreds of examples of non-self defense killings by private citizens with permits to carry concealed, loaded handguns in public that took place since May 2007. These incidents include homicides, suicides, mass shootings, murder-suicides, lethal attacks on law enforcement, and unintentional deaths. Only a tiny fraction of these cases are ever ruled to be in self-defense. Any homicide that is legally determined to be in self-defense is documented and removed from the Concealed Carry Killers database and the ongoing tallies.

Spotlight: Shooting at “faux-Alpine village” resort town in Georgia

On August 16, 2014, concealed handgun permit holder Glenn Patrick Lampien, 53, shot and killed May Araim, 68, as she walked down North Main Street in the “faux-Alpine village” resort town of Helen, Georgia. Lampien’s handgun apparently fired unintentionally, with a round wounding his hand before striking and killing Araim as she walked with several of her relatives. On January 17, 2017, Glenn Patrick Lampien was found guilty of two counts of involuntary manslaughter in the death of May Araim. Read more…

These incidents are only examples. There is no comprehensive federal database of concealed carry incidents, and some states even bar the release of such information by law. As a result, the examples in Concealed Carry Killers are taken primarily from news reports and from the reporting required in a few states. These examples represent an unknown fraction of similar incidents that routinely occur across the nation.

Currently, Concealed Carry Killers documents 904 incidents in 40 states and the District of Columbia resulting in 1,108 deaths. In 86 percent of the incidents (780) the concealed carry killer committed suicide (399), has already been convicted (305), perpetrated a murder-suicide (58), or was killed in the incident (18). Of the 93 cases still pending, the vast majority (81) of concealed carry killers have been charged with criminal homicide, four were deemed incompetent to stand trial, and eight incidents are still under investigation. An additional 31 incidents were fatal unintentional shootings involving the gun of the concealed handgun permit holder. Nineteen of the victims were law enforcement officers. Thirty-one of the incidents were mass shootings, resulting in the deaths of 147 victims.

More than just numbers, Concealed Carry Killers provides detailed accounts of lethal incidents involving concealed handgun permit holders. Whenever possible, this includes the names of the killers and victims, the legal status of the cases, and the circumstances of the incidents. To find out more, click on the numbers on the left-hand side to view nationwide information, and see the map above to view the incidents by state.

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The Violence Policy Center is a national tax-exempt educational organization working for a safer America through research, investigation, analysis, and advocacy.
The VPC provides information to policymakers, journalists, organizations, advocates, and the general public. Click here to learn more.